


Eyes with a fire, unquenched by peace

by stjarna



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with happy end, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Strangers to Friends, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Work In Progress, canon compliant for S4, canon divergent for S5
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2019-03-02 07:11:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13313043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stjarna/pseuds/stjarna
Summary: I participated in theFandom Loves Puerto Rico Event, and@salviagbid on one of my offerings (a 3-7k AoS fic) and donated a generous amount toConPRMetidos. They asked for a Quakerider fic.





	1. 4x01 - Daisy's POV

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Salvia_G](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salvia_G/gifts).



> Big thank you to @marvelthismarvelthat for the beta, enthusiasm, and help with Spanish, and to @dilkirani for being my loyal beta no matter what ship I write for.
> 
> [Title from “Monster” by Mumford & Sons]

 

Daisy didn’t care what happened to her. She worked towards her goal to get to the Watchdogs, take their weapons, take down their funding, cut off their escape routes, make them pay, and if she died in the process, so be it. She wanted to be punished. She deserved it. Lincoln had died for her. It had been her fault. She should have been stronger. She should have defied Hive. His powers. Instead she’d succumbed and made it all worse and Lincoln had paid the price. Well, now, they would pay. They would pay for supplying the bomb. They would pay for wanting to eradicate Inhumans only to help the worst of them all. They would pay no matter her cost. Broken bones. Bruises. Bullet holes. It didn’t matter. The pain only made her fight harder.

She didn’t care what happened to her. And when that flaming skull showed up, hunting down the same people she was after, she didn’t care what happened to him either. He would either become an ally or he’d be in her way. If he knew what was good for him, he’d choose not to be the latter.

“They say when the Rider burns you, he burns your soul,” that sorry excuse for a human being had told her. Well, she had a fire of her own, and she’d lost her soul in an explosion in space, scattering Lincoln’s dust across the universe, mixed with her tears, mixed with her pain, mixed with her guilt.

She had nothing more to lose, didn’t allow herself to have more to lose.

It was either win or die trying. And she was fine either way. Let it be over one way or another.

Some might call it reckless, suicidal.

But who gives a fuck about what some say?


	2. 4x01 + 4x02 - Robbie's POV

Robbie was annoyed with the unexpected visitor who wouldn’t leave him alone, asked questions, too many questions, seemed to know things. Knew about the Charger. She got in his way. The Rider’s way. But there was something about her. She had power. She had fire. She had the devil inside of her too. Or maybe a different kind of evil, a different kind of demon. And things only got more interesting when the Rider refused her wish. He didn’t do that often. Never. Ever since they’d struck a deal, the Rider had never stepped away from someone in a fight. They all got burnt. They all died. They all deserved it. They all claimed they didn’t, but they all did just the same. Except for her. She was the only one who’d been convinced she deserved it, who begged the Rider to burn her, kill her, end her, and yet, she was the only one he’d let go. There was something there, for sure. He couldn’t stop thinking about her after that first visit. 

But, damn it, she was annoying. She got in his way. She came back. With more questions. More answers. Hidden threats. Knew everything about him. Played his childhood friend. In front of his colleagues, knowing full well that he couldn’t act out while everyone was watching. She said she only wanted to talk. Figure out whose side he was on. Talked about the two of them as if they were cut from the same tree. As if she understood. Inhumans. Ha! Well, he wasn’t Inhuman. He wasn’t human. He was something much darker. He tried to tell her. He tried to get her to leave. He tried to threaten her back. But then she had the nerve to bring up his little brother. That was her biggest mistake.

But maybe also his.

He overpowered her. He tied her up. Went through her stuff. Tried to figure out who the hell she was and what she wanted. Part of him still wanted her out of his way. The Rider’s way. Find proof that she deserved to die like she claimed to. Make his problems disappear. But part of him sensed that the Rider had let her live for a reason and he wasn’t going to change his mind.

The more he saw of her, her anger, her determination, her desperation, her willingness to die, the more he found in her folder, fake IDs, pictures, intel, newspaper clippings, the more she rambled on, the more curious Robbie got, about her and what she was after.

And then she mentioned his uncle’s lab in Pasadena and something clicked. He tried to get out of there as fast as possible but damn she was strong, and fast. She freed herself and jumped on his fucking car as if they were in some kind of action movie and she was fucking Super Woman. He tried to shake her off. But, man, the girl had bite. He didn’t shake her until the tunnel. Off the car that was. She still managed to follow him to the lab in the end.

And then things got even weirder, and that was coming from someone who’d made a deal with the devil and burst into flames to hunt down asesinos. The Rider took over, went straight for the ghost, the demon, but left the other guys alone. And she didn’t stop him. She didn’t stop him on the way out. And her friends didn’t follow him, so chances were she’d stopped them from going after him.

That said something about her. That’s when Robbie decided that working together was maybe not such a bad idea. Their stories seemed connected after all. And he seemed to be the centerpiece in their puzzle.


	3. 4x03 - Daisy's POV

He’d picked her up. Said that he was what was connecting everything. The Watchdogs. Aryans and Chinese gangs working together. The lab in Pasadena. He said he was the missing link. And then he kept on driving without saying a word. Sure, she’d gotten used to the whole mysterious-silent thing herself. Being on the run kinda did that to you. Trying to hide. Trying to stay in the shadows but still making a noise. Trying to stay out of everyone’s way. Mostly out of the way of those she cared about most.

But, fuck it, he’d picked her up. Collaboration was implied. And she fucking needed to know what he knew,  _ whom _ he knew.

And then he admitted it. His uncle. Elias Morrow. Uncle Eli. Serving time at South Ridge Penitentiary for attempted manslaughter. Beating up his boss until the guy landed in a coma.

He’d been surprised that she knew. Maybe even a bit peeved, but hey, a girl’s gotta watch out whom she gets in the car with, especially when fiery vengeance demons are involved.

He tried to defend his uncle.

“A good man, who had done a bad thing.”

Well, there was a story she’d never heard before.

_Color me skeptical_ , she thought, but she kept it to herself. Having the devil on her side was maybe more important than being sassy.

* * *

There was something sweet about the worry for his brother. Yes, she’d tried to use the whole “Everyone gets attached to something” thing against him, brought up his brother to get his attention (and boy had that worked), but Daisy couldn’t deny there was something comforting about people caring for each other, wanting to protect them.

Hell, that’s what she’d been trying to do. Protect those she cared about. Except she’d been doing it by staying away. Not that they understood. Protecting herself from further pain by staying away? Yeah, okay, maybe that too.

There was something sweet about it though, the way his tone changed when he talked about his brother, being stranded in the bad part of town if L.A. was hit by a blackout.

And then—BAM—it happened, literally as they were talking about what would happen if it happ—Yep, perfectly imperfect timing, like in some kind of movie, like the universe had a fucked up sense of humor but impeccable timing to deliver its joke.

And then they’d taken off, like there was no stopping. As if the devil were after them. Or, well, had taken the wheel. He was talking about how they were lucky. No electronics in that snazzy car of his that would have been affected by the blackout. But Daisy could also hear how his worry grew into panic as he navigated the streets. Stranded cars, confused people everywhere, looting, bullying at every corner, humanity at its best.

She’d told him to calm down. Having a burning skull next to her while she was trapped on the passenger seat didn’t exactly sound appealing. He told her it wasn’t stress that caused it. And he stuck with his fucking ‘sold my soul’ story. Whatever. Maybe it didn’t matter what he believed or tried to tell people and what was really true. It was interesting to get some details though. He was settling scores. Not just his. Other people’s. His uncle’s. The Rider’s. Well, he could help settle hers.

* * *

It felt rather satisfying to beat up those thugs who had tried to go after his brother. Until she quaked the gun out of the guy’s hand and heard her bones snap. Then it became slightly less fun.

He could throw a punch. She’d been on the receiving end of things of course. She knew. But seeing him raging at his brother’s attackers. Hearing that this time he hadn’t had help from the Rider. That that had all been him. His anger. His rage. His protectiveness. Daisy couldn’t deny that it impressed her just a little bit.

Robbie took them home to their place. Gave her a makeshift ice pack for her injured arm and then took off to find her some better medical supplies. Something inside of her tried to revolt against letting him help, letting him care, letting him get closer. She’d built up those defenses for a reason. Everyone gets attached to something. Well, she was done with that. But she couldn’t deny that she needed help, and going to the hospital was not an option.

As she sat with Gabe over a cold dinner, she pondered about what had happened that day. It had been interesting to see the two brothers interact, bicker, and yet notice the strong bond between them. She felt like she saw two sides of the same coin that day, that night. Two sides of their story. Both thought they were protecting the other. Robbie by settling scores but hiding the demon living inside of him from his little brother. Gabe by trying to pull Robbie out of the darkness. He knew something was going on, he just didn’t know how bad it really was.

Daisy couldn’t decide who was really watching over whom, whether either of them was wrong. But she knew Gabe was right about one thing: Bad things come from bad people. And Daisy fit that bill.

She waited until Gabe fell asleep and then snuck out. He was right. She didn’t need to pull another soul into her misery, even if that soul had already been sold to the devil.

This was her fight. Her punishment. Her penance.


	4. 4x04 - Robbie's POV + 4x04 Daisy's POV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thank you to @marvelthismarvelthat and @dilkirani for yet another amazing beta :)

He couldn’t quite believe it. They’d caught him. Those fucking dudes in that fucking red—okay _gorgeous_ red Corvette had chased after him and caught him. He’d never lost a race. Not in the Charger. Against a Corvette? It was a miracle the thing was even able to keep up with him. Man, they must have tampered with what was under that baby’s hood. The Charger was still keeping ahead. But BAM. They’d tricked him. He wasn’t sure what he had crashed against. But he woke up in some sort of padded cell with those pendejos inspecting his car.

“Hands off my ride, man!” Robbie demanded.

The big, bald guy seemed overall skeptical, a bit more cautious. But the older one? In his suit? With a tie? With fucking stripes? Fuck, he’d been beaten in a car race by a guy who looked like he sold insurance door to door. But then he talked as if talking to vengeance demons was his day job.

They knew things. Clearly had access to Robbie’s records. Where he went to school. Where he worked. But they also knew things they shouldn’t. They knew about the Rider. They asked if he was Inhuman. Again. Why did everyone assume he was Inhuman? ¡Idiotas! He told them. Told them the truth. But just like Daisy, they didn’t believe him. Well, they would eventually.

But Robbie had to admit he did not see their next move coming. And from the looks of it, neither did the big guy.

“Coulson, what the hell are you doing?” big baldie exclaimed in shock, as the old guy’s hand reached for the button of the door.

But the old guy, Coulson, went ahead and pushed it anyway. “I think it’s time I make a deal with the devil myself.”

Robbie thought this Coulson was loco. And the big guy actually agreed with him. Robbie warned them of what he could do. What the Rider could do. But Stripy-Tie had a point: Robbie couldn’t risk crashing the plane.

Coulson told Robbie they were on the same side, both after those fantasmas he’d encountered at the lab. He offered Robbie a deal. Get Uncle Eli talking, let them listen in. And if Robbie refused he’d get a skydiving lesson without a parachute. Well, Robbie wasn’t too keen on that.

So, he talked to Uncle Eli. And Tío talked about madness. About his bosses trying to play God. Defying the laws of physics. That they used him. That he snapped when his boss killed his co-workers, killed his own wife. He wanted revenge. Something Robbie was all too familiar with. Revenge. Settling scores. His uncle said they were his demons, not Robbie’s, but Robbie knew better. They’d become his demons a long time ago. And then Tío brought up the book. A book that gave his bosses all the knowledge anyone could ever need. A book they were obsessed with. A book that drove them mad.

When Robbie finally caught up with the others, he was pissed when Coulson told him they’d have to take care of something else first, before they could go after the book. He’d gotten them what they needed. He’d agreed to work with them. It allowed him to settle another score. Maybe his final score. He wasn’t gonna wait and he told Coulson as much. They’d either go after the book now, or he’d do it himself, do it his way, the Rider’s way.

“That’s not how things work here,” Coulson had replied. And then he’d actually asked for help. And somehow, Robbie agreed.

* * *

* * *

Daisy could barely hold herself up after the explosion that had blasted the door. Her eyes anxiously wandered from James to Jemma and back as the Aussie stepped into the storage unit. Daisy felt her chest heaving, pain rushing through her bones, every muscle.

“I’m on fire!” James announced, yanking the metal chain from the door, igniting it slowly, a sly and triumphant grin playing on his lips. “Well, a little more than usual.”

A single thought ran through Daisy’s mind on repeat: _It’s all my fault. This was my fight and I dragged Simmons down with me. Another death on my hands. Only this time I’ll pay the same price._

She flinched reflexively when James swung the burning chain backwards, covering her eyes, awaiting the hit, the burn, punishment for her stupidity, her recklessness.

But the blow never came.

“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but you just made a big mistake,” James snarled, causing Daisy’s curiosity to take over and open her eyes.

“Funny. I was gonna say the same thing... without the accent.”

Daisy couldn’t quite believe it. What was he doing here? How had he found them? How did he just show up at the perfect moment, like a fucking knight in shining… well, in a black leather jacket, a head that could literally catch on fire, vengeance on his mind, and yanking a burning metal chain from James’ hand, … Come to think of it, he was a lot more like a dragon than a knight and he wasn’t there to play nice. But neither was James.

“Take the stairs. Find Agent Coulson,” Robbie told her, his eyes fixed on James.

The number of questions Daisy had for him grew exponentially, but it was clear that now wasn’t the time to get answers.

“Go!” Robbie ticked his head to the side, and Daisy glanced at him one last time before taking off with Simmons.

It felt good to see Coulson and Mack. And it hurt like hell. The way they looked at her. The way she wanted and didn’t want to look at them. Good thing was: the mission was key. Watchdogs. James. Focus. Ignore your private problems a while longer.

And then things started to explode. Literally. Admittedly, stuff blowing up around them was nothing new. But an entire warehouse full of fireworks igniting because two dudes—two dudes who were _literally_ on fire dropped through the wall? That was a new level of BOOM!

Daisy ran for the door, outside, the blast from the explosion propelling her forward.

For a second, Daisy saw the sparks, spirals, fire igniting the night sky and her mind was driven back to Lincoln, an explosion in space, a bright blast followed by endless darkness. Then she pulled herself back to the present and another thought rushed through her mind: Robbie. An explosion. Sparks, a bright blast, followed by…

A shiver ran through her, fear. She’d done it again. Dragged someone into her fight who’d paid the price in her place.

When she saw his dark figure through the smoke, dragging an unconscious James across the ground, she had to hold her breath, pushing back tears of relief.

He glanced at her, just for a moment, a split second, as if he wanted to check in, make sure she was okay. Daisy’s eyes fell to the ground before looking back up, an uneasy feeling making her stomach churn.

“You said alive, right?” Robbie said dryly, before taking the chain, wrapping it around his torso and taking off without another word.

Silence. That’s how it continued.

No one spoke a word on the drive back to the plane.

No one spoke a word as they walked off in different directions, Mack one way, Coulson another, Robbie taking a seat in the cargo bay, crossing his arms in front of his chest and clenching his jaw. He was the only one—Simmons aside—who didn’t avoid her eyes and whose eyes she didn’t feel like avoiding.

And, well, Simmons talked, broke the silence, gave Daisy a piece of her mind in a muttered, stern, almost motherly lecture as she dragged Daisy along towards the lab to patch up her arm.

When Daisy came back to the cargo bay, Robbie still sat in the same place as if time had stood still. She sat down next to him, one seat empty between them. Space. Not too close. Not too far away. She cradled her broken arm, staring at the cast. It seemed fitting that Simmons had wrapped it in black.

Black. Darkness. Death. It followed her.

Daisy sighed, her eyes briefly wandering to Robbie. He met her gaze, his eyes softer than usual, his lips slightly parted as if preparing to speak, and for a moment Daisy felt both nervous and serene, under attack and safe. She drew in a slow breath, wanting to say something. Something snarky to mask her fears, the seriousness of the moment. Or something nice, something honest, conveying how much his help meant to her.

In the end she said nothing at all. And neither did he. Silence.

Until Coulson showed up, somehow managing to give her the silent treatment and yet talking at the same time, calm but distant, business-like. He interrupted her, dismissed her, her mission, her fight. The Watchdogs.

“We have a more pressing threat on our hands,” he said.

_Ha! When do we not?_

Daisy tried to get another word in, but Coulson continued his speech, ignoring her interjection.

“Look, I know you two like to work alone, settling the scores that are personal to you, but that’s not how we work here at S.H.I.E.L.D.”

_That’s why I left._

“We work together.”

_You work together, you get attached. You get attached, you lose everything, everyone. One by one. I want nothing more to lose._

“To keep everyone safe.”

_Hasn’t worked out so well in the past._

“From things like this.”

_And the award for most dramatic goes to_ … Daisy thought when Coulson threw the tablet at her feet, but, damn it, her curiosity got the better of her, and the image of some kind of leather-clad book with large metal letters: Darkhold.

It even got Robbie talking. He’d heard of the thing. _When had that happened?_

And against her better judgment, Daisy started to listen.

“So you may want to be solo, but forces beyond our control are driving us together.”

_Everyone gets attached to something._

“You don’t need us? Fine. Right now, we need you.”

_Fuck._

Daisy felt her muscles tense.

_We. Need. You._

Disarmed by three little words.

She didn’t want anything to lose.

_Then why is it so hard to let them go, lose them on my own terms? Why is it so hard not to care?_

She turned to Robbie, and found him already looking back at her. Somehow it didn’t even surprise her.

She sighed. And just like that, she was in. They both were.

Next stop: Joseph Bauer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "And the award for most dramatic goes to…" line was inspired by [these Tumblr post](https://the-nerdy-stjarna.tumblr.com/post/155820527140/fyeah-philinda-bobbimorxe-fitzsimmonsies)


End file.
